US Humanitarian Assistance to Lebanon

http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/middle_east/

 

"America is making a long-term commitment to help the people of Lebanon because we believe every person deserves to live in a free, open society that respects the rights of all. " - President Bush Unloaded blankets at port in Beirut

HSV Swift from the side

Med kits being unloaded

Blankets being unloaded

The United States has a great deal of concern for the innocent civilian populations on both sides of the border who need humanitarian aid. On August 21, President Bush announced over $230 million in humanitarian reconstruction and security assistance to Lebanon. The aim of this assistance is to strengthen Lebanon's sovereign, democratic government, help the Lebanese people rebuild, and ensure a lasting peace. (Read entire announcement...)

To meet the most urgent needs, the United States has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) led by USAID to determine priorities and humanitarian needs. Since Juy 25, the U.S. has committed over $25 million of the $50 million pledged for such high priority items as food, water, sanitation, emergency relief supplies, and shelter.

08/23/06 - Situation Report #26 (PDF - 106kb)
08/23/06 - Map (PDF - 953kb)

Total USG Humanitarian Assistance Committed to Lebanon: $36,785,640
Total USG Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Pledged to Lebanon: $230,000,000

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Interagency assessment teams have concluded that humanitarian intervention is not urgently required in the Bekaa Valley, as most remaining needs are related to recovery and reconstruction. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), existing municipal response systems are effective and have provided generous, appropriate, timely, and comprehensive support to displaced residents. However, OCHA noted that regular monitoring and follow-up are necessary to ensure that special cases receive adequate treatment and further aid distribution as required. OCHA recommended repairs to roads and bridges, water and sewage facilities, health facilities, schools, and homes, as well as restocking of health facilities and the provision of health and sanitation kits.

According to assessments, the conflict has severely undermined livelihoods through the destruction of factories and petrol stations, damage to crops, and deaths of livestock. USG partners, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Mercy Corps, are currently preparing to help families rebuild their livelihoods through cash-for-work opportunities for unskilled labor needs, support for vocational training for return-related skills such as carpentry and masonry, and livelihood assistance to enable vulnerable families to purchase small equipment or materials to restart livelihood activities, such as agricultural tools for farmers, sewing machines for seamstresses, and ovens for bakeries.

CURRENT SITUATION

As of August 23, the GOL Higher Relief Council (HRC) reports that 1,183 Lebanese have been killed and approximately 4,059 injured. More than 980,000 Lebanese fled their homes at the height of emergency, but the HRC estimates that 718,000 displaced persons have returned to their home areas since August 14. According to the HRC, 256,184 residents remain displaced. The HRC and U.N. agencies report that most collective centers are now empty, and the majority of remaining internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees are staying with host families.

Returns

• As of August 23, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that 156,000 refugees had returned from Syria, largely through UNHCR-monitored crossings. UNHCR teams are scheduled to remain on the border with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent until approximately August 25.
• The GOL estimates that 90 percent of IDPs, most of whom were staying in and around Beirut, have returned home. However, thousands have not returned or have returned to find their homes uninhabitable or living conditions impossible, according to OCHA. UNHCR reports that, until there is progress in rebuilding, the remaining displaced population may stay with host families in home areas or other towns and villages.

  Damage Assessments

• On August 22, OCHA reported that a multi-cluster assessment mission traveled to Kfar Kila and Deir Mimess, both located southeast of Nabatiye. According to the assessment team, damage to the public water supply infrastructure and electricity outages have decreased the amount of potable water available. In Deir Mimess, only 200 of the original 3,600 inhabitants have returned, no food or water is available, and fields reportedly contain numerous unexploded ordnance (UXO) from cluster bombs, preventing local farmers from returning to their fields. In Kfar Kila, an estimated 90 percent of the original population of 13,000 has now returned. The housing sector sustained minimal damage, with 10 houses destroyed and 107 damaged. Although no electricity is available, limited amounts of water and medicine are available and fresh fruit and vegetables have begun to reappear in the local market. The assessment team also found extensive destruction in the village of Ghanduriyah, south of Nabatiye, and reports that further assessment is required.
• According to OCHA, the conflict destroyed 50 to 90 percent of government and public buildings in 39 villages in Bent Jbail District; villages in Marjayoun District experienced similar levels of destruction. In Nabatiye District, U.N. assessment teams reported that 50 percent of structures in Yohmor and Western Zawtar villages were destroyed; in other district villages, the conflict led to the destruction of 10 to 15 percent of structures.

  Early Recovery

• With USG support, on August 23, a Mercy Corps national partner began a cash-for-work project aimed at filling and repaving three large craters in the Jezzine–Nabatiye road. The repairs will shorten travel time and make adjacent villages more accessible.
• On August 21, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) met with mayors of 40 villages from municipalities in Bent Jbail and Tyre districts to sign contracts for projects to clear rubble, fill potholes, and complete repair work on buildings. UNDP has also met with mayors from villages in Marjayoun and Nabatiye and aims to expand the small project initiative to other locations, including Baalbek. According to OCHA, local communities will complete the projects, which range in value from $5,000 to $25,000, for a total of up to $800,000.

  Health and Nutrition

• The U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) has dispatched emergency reproductive health kits—including surgical equipment, essential drugs, and safe blood transfusion units—to Lebanon, according to OCHA. The shipment covers the needs of approximately 120,000 persons for three months. In addition, UNFPA has provided 4,000 hygiene kits to the GOL Ministry of Social Affairs for distribution by local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• According to OCHA, UNFPA is working to establish a coordination committee for the Baalbek area, similar to those established for Zahle and West Bekaa, to assess damage to health facilities.

  Logistics

• The Lebanese Ministry of Finance is finalizing customs clearance procedures for U.N. agencies and NGOs, according to OCHA. Although the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) can complete customs clearance on WFP-chartered transport, U.N. agencies must go through the HRC, and NGOs must contact the GOL Ministry of Social Affairs.

  Food and Emergency Relief Supplies

• According to the USG Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), WFP reported one International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and one WFP food assistance mission were rejected by communities in the south during the week of August 14. In addition, WFP noted that cash is being disbursed in the south to those who lost homes and questioned whether these two events were an indication that food assistance is no longer needed in Lebanon. However, assessments in South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley indicate food aid is still needed in some areas, according to a number of NGOs and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Agencies caution that food assistance must be targeted to avoid excesses.
• WFP reports that municipalities are the best distribution mechanism, according to the DART. WFP noted that NGOs can add value by monitoring distributions to ensure transparency and fairness. However, one NGO expressed concern that this role could create tensions between NGOs and the municipality, which could hinder long-term activities.
• In response to requests from local authorities, UNHCR is preparing emergency shelter repair kits that include plastic sheeting, plywood, corrugated metal sheets, and wood, as well as hammers, nails, and shovels, according to OCHA.
• On August 21, a shipment of UNHCR relief items arrived in Tyre, including 1,000 mattresses, 2,000 blankets, 100 tents, 100 boxes of soap, 500 diapers, and plastic sheeting. In addition, in Ayta Ash Shaab, UNHCR has distributed 20 tents, 4,125 blankets and 2,500 mattresses to date.
• On August 23, the U.N. dispatched five U.N. convoys carrying food, water, and other relief supplies to Tyre, Marjayoun, Deir Mimess, and south Beirut as well as a convoy from Damascus to Beirut, according to OCHA.
• On August 23, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) distributed 29,500 liters of drinking water to the villages of Khiam, Ett Taibe, and Ebel Es Saqy.

  Protection

• On August 22, the DART attended the child protection sub-cluster meeting, chaired by the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Other attendees included the Ministry of Social Affairs, the newly-appointed National Director for Mental Health, and international and local NGOs. Most of the organizations have begun but not yet completed needs assessments in affected areas.
• UNICEF estimated that 20 percent of the schools along the Lebanon–Israel border have been destroyed, and 80 percent need some rehabilitation before the school year begins on October 9. In some areas, however, the lack of a common assessment tool has resulted in redundant assessments.
• Based on initial assessments in southern Lebanon, UNICEF staff offered some early recommendations: develop a common assessment tool; expand protection programs to include teenagers and parents; include livelihoods support for families; provide culturally-sensitive assistance, such as halal meat; train local people to provide counseling; establish women and youth committees where none existed; and create protection programs on a national scale.
• According to OCHA, the GOL Ministry of Justice and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a human trafficking awareness campaign targeting foreign domestic workers in Lebanon. Awareness materials have been distributed to expatriate workers in Sinhalese, Amharic, Tamil, and English. As of August 21, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has evacuated nearly 12,600 third country nationals from Lebanon.

  UXO and Landmines

• The Mine Action Coordination Center in Southern Lebanon (MACC-SL), under the U.N. Mine Action Services (UNMAS), continues to update a map of cluster bomb sites and passable roads in Southern Lebanon.
• On August 22 and 23, a team from MACC-SL undertook controlled demolitions of UXOs collected near the villages of Yohmor (Nabatiye), Sammaaiye (Tyre), Ras Al Ain (Zahle), Tebnin, and Ayta Ash Shaab (Bent Jbail) in southern Lebanon.

USG ACTION

• On July 25, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman declared a humanitarian emergency in Lebanon due to ongoing insecurity and humanitarian needs. U.S. President George W. Bush has authorized $230 million in USG humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for persons affected by conflict in Lebanon.
• On July 23, a USG DART, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), arrived in the region to prioritize USG assistance. A Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team is supporting the DART.
• USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), via U.S. military and ICRC transport, has provided 1,000 tarps, 20,000 blankets, and 18 emergency health kits in support of relief operations in Lebanon. The DART has consigned these relief supplies to ICRC, the U.N. World Health Program (WHO), International Medical Corps (IMC), and Mercy Corps for delivery to approximately 235,000 beneficiaries in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
• USAID/OFDA has provided $7 million to support the U.N. Flash Appeal for Lebanon to WFP and the U.N. Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) for logistics and coordination, UNICEF for water and sanitation activities, and OCHA and OCHA’s Humanitarian Information Center (HIC) for coordination and information management. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) has provided $5 million to the U.N. Flash Appeal to support UNHCR, UNRWA, and IOM.
• USAID/OFDA has provided $9.4 million to Mercy Corps, CRS, IMC, and World Vision for water and sanitation services, health services, psychosocial support, emergency shelter activities, and the distribution of food and relief supplies. USAID/OFDA has also provided $25,916 to Church World Service (CWS) for security training for relief NGOs. State/PRM has contributed $5 million to ICRC’s emergency appeal for Lebanon.
• USAID/OFDA has released an Annual Program Statement (APS) soliciting proposals to address emergency needs in Lebanon. The APS is available at http://www.grants.gov.
• USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) is providing 1,000 metric tons (MT) of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance, valued at nearly $625,000, in support of WFP operations in Lebanon.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided 25,000 MT of hard red winter wheat to the Government of Lebanon for food security and agricultural development. Valued at $9.2 million including transport, the wheat contribution is part of USDA’s Food for Progress program.
• In addition to evacuating nearly 15,000 American citizens, the U.S. Military has been integral in providing transport to Beirut for both the DART and USAID emergency relief supplies.